Title: Wild Child by Molly O’Keefe
Boys of Bishop Series Book One
Publisher: Random House Publishing Group
Imprint: Bantam
Genre: Contemporary, Romance
Length: 368 pages
Book Rating: B+
Complimentary Review Copy Provided by Publisher Through Edelweiss
Summary:
Perfect for readers of Susan Elizabeth Phillips and Rachel Gibson, this sizzling romance tells the story of a sexy small-town mayor and a notorious “bad girl,” who discover that home really is where the heart is.
Monica Appleby is a woman with a reputation. Once she was America’s teenage “Wild Child,” with her own reality TV show. Now she’s a successful author coming home to Bishop, Arkansas, to pen the juicy follow-up to her tell-all autobiography. Problem is, the hottest man in town wants her gone. Mayor Jackson Davies is trying to convince a cookie giant to move its headquarters to his crumbling community, and Monica’s presence is just too . . . unwholesome for business. But the desire in his eyes sends a very different message: Stay, at least for a while.
Jackson needs this cookie deal to go through. His town is dying and this may be its last shot. Monica is a distraction proving too sweet, too inviting—and completely beyond his control. With every kiss he can taste her loneliness, her regrets, and her longing. Soon their uncontrollable attraction is causing all kinds of drama. But when two lost hearts take a surprise detour onto the bumpy road of unexpected love, it can only lead someplace wonderful.
“Molly O’Keefe is a unique, not-to-be-missed voice in romantic fiction.”—New York Times bestselling author Susan Andersen
The Review:
As I have come to expect from Molly O’Keefe, Wild Child is a deliciously steamy romance that has plenty of substance. It is a light read in the sense that there is no angst but there is definitely a lot of depth to the characters and the plot.
At first glance reality star turned author Monica Appleby and small town mayor Jackson Davies share little in common. Monica’s sordid past and wild teenage exploits have been vividly detailed in her auto-biography Wild Child while Jackson leads a pretty quiet and rumor free life raising his teenage sister, Gwen. Their two very different worlds collide when Monica returns to the small town of Bishop, AR to write a tell all novel about a tragic event from her childhood. Negative publicity is the last thing Jackson needs while Bishop is participating in a nationally televised competition for a relocating factory that will resuscitate the town’s dying economy.
The similarities between Monica and Jackson are apparent at their first contentious meeting. Both are very different than their public personas and they are very good at hiding who they really are from other people. Neither of them had very little choice in the direction their lives took. Monica’s mother dragged her into the limelight while the unexpected death of Jackson’s parents left him in charge of his teenage sister.
Monica and Jackson quickly enter into a very hot and incendiary sexual relationship but their pasts soon derail their relationship. Jackson’s relationship with Gwen is distant and things between them are becoming increasingly rocky. Monica has successfully avoided her mother Simone for several years, but Simone’s unexpected arrival in Bishop lead to several unpleasant confrontations between the two.
Wild Child is a delightfully charming romance and while Jackson and Monica are flawed and imperfect, they are very appealing. Their problems are not glossed over, and the resolution of their issues is handled in a realistic manner. The secondary cast of characters adds another layer to this intricately plotted story and hopefully Molly O’Keefe has plans to bring us their stories in the future.
Another fabulous book by a very gifted author that I highly recommend to anyone who enjoys contemporary romances.
